This invention relates to rolling bearing assemblies, and is particularly directed to that form of rolling bearing assembly having inner and outer members which are rotatable with respect to one another and define therebetween a pair of races for two rows of rolling bearings. In the type of bearing with which the invention is especially concerned, which is adaptable for use as a wheel bearing unit for a motor vehicle, each of the bearing parts has an outwardly extending portion to enable mounting of the respective bearing part to the desired portion of the motor vehicle.
One rolling bearing assembly of this type is disclosed in German Patent Publication No. 2,104,929. This bearing is designed especially for use on the wheels of a motor vehicle. For this purpose, the outer sections of the bearing parts are formed with flanges, so that one side of the bearing assembly may be connected to the motor vehicle by way of the flange on the outer bearing part. A wheel hub and brake element are mounted to the other side of the bearing assembly by means of the flange on the inner bearing part. In this arrangement, the bearing parts are formed by conventional techniques, whereby the inner bearing part must be inserted off-center into the outer bearing part, in order to enable loading of the rolling elements in the races. In this technique of assembly, the two rows of the rolling bearing generally comprise the same number of rolling elements.
Wheel bearing assemblies of this type are quite satisfactory, for example, for personnel motor vehicles. The bearing assemblies may also be employed on racing vehicles, although problems arise in this latter use of the bearing assemblies. In racing vehicles, the various wheels are arranged so that the force lines on the wheels do not coincide with the center planes of the bearing assembly. As a consequence, a turning moment acts on the bearing assembly, resulting in an additional stress, so that the outer lying rolling bearing rows may be loaded to a greater extent by the vehicle than the inner lying rolling bearing rows.
In order to overcome this problem, the present invention is directed to the provision of a compact, as well as easily produced roller bearing assembly of the above-described type, that is particularly useful as a bearing for wheels, such as racing motor vehicle wheels. The invention is further directed to the provision of rolling bearing assemblies which can be loaded, with relatively high forces, in both the axial and radial directions, while still having relatively small dimensions in comparsion with its load carrying capacity.